An Ohio-based Costco employee who was his elderly mother's sole caregiver was shot dead in a parking lot on Saturday. Randy Corrigan, 61, was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and right arm when the Strongsville Police Department arrived at the store at around 5:45 pm, according to WJW.
Several good Samaritans had been trying to render medical aid to him before the police arrived, and officers said they immediately began first aid, according to WOIO. Corrigan was breathing, conscious and able to answer questions at the scene, but it 'was apparent his alertness was beginning to decline,' a responding officer wrote in court documents obtained by WJW.
Corrigan was then transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, authorities at the scene took Christian Bryant, 22, from Fort Worth, Texas into custody. He is now facing murder charges in connection with the shooting.
Witnesses at the scene told police how they saw Bryant walking toward the front doors of the Costco store with a 'drum magazine protruding from one of his pockets,' according to court documents. Corrigan then reportedly approached Bryant and said he could not enter the store with the weapon - at which point the suspect allegedly took out a semi-automatic handgun with a drum magazine and shot the victim.
Bryant allegedly fired one round at the victim and then 'after a split-second pause, fired many more, one after another, with no pause,' court documents say. But police also noted that Corrigan brandished a pocket knife when the suspect took out the gun and shot him.
When Bryant was then questioned by police about the shooting, he allegedly claimed that 'a white man approached me with a knife for no reason' and 'I defended myself.' The suspect later reiterated that argument at his arraignment on Monday, telling the court, 'This man approached me with a knife' before Judge Sean Kilbane advised Bryant to refrain from making any statements until conferring with his attorney.
At the hearing, Strongsville Police Detective Zaki Hazou described how Bryant is a truck driver who was passing through Ohio when he allegedly opened fire. The suspect also has a prior criminal record, though he is not currently under any probationary supervision or parole, Hazou said as he requested Bryant be held on a $5 million bond.
A spokesperson for Corrigan's family also spoke at the hearing at the Berea Municipal Court and said they want 'justice [to] be served.' The judge ultimately agreed to hold Bryant on a $5 million bond, and his case will now be turned over to a grand jury.
In the meantime, Corrigan's niece is raising money for his funeral expenses. She described him in an online fundraiser as 'an amazing, funny and generous man who completely turned his life around after some trouble in his younger days.' 'He was selfless and caring... the sole caregiver for my 86-year-old grandmother,' the niece noted. 'Aside from taking care of her, he LOVED going to work at Costco, always talking about his coworkers,' she continued. 'He would joke, laugh and pass around sweet treats to everyone around him, making every day brighter for those he met.' As of Monday evening, the fundraiser had raised more than $25,000 for Corrigan's funeral.
